Post navigation

THE TAJ and a bit of Birding

As advised, we got up very early to try to beat the crowds and see the Taj Mahal in the light of dawn. We were rewarded – the first glimpse made me cry. (many of you know that’s not hard to do, but there’s something to said for symmetry, scale, and perfect execution ) Oh, and this is Mary writing, I don’t know if Peter cried…( yes he did. P )

Yep, there I am, all alone with the Taj. I then broke into song and was joined by a caste of thousands in a Bollywood musical number. Wish you’d been here.

Peter looks good in white marble.

So, that afternoon our driver Dhoni took us to Keoladeo Park, a large nature reserve, and dropped us at a hotel where we said our goodbyes

We are forever grateful to this man and his trusty Suzuki for 10 good days in Rajastan and daily lessons in how to get along in this very different country.

So, again early the next morn, we were at the park gates by 7, pedaling off on our rented pedals by 7:30. What we saw was beyond description. Hundreds of species of birds all so close and so easy to see. Simply amazing. Sorry our little camera doesn’t do them justice

A whole island of these moody giants. Storks we think. Way bigger than they appear here.

Balancing act

We were in the saddle for 5 1/2 hours but Peter still looks happy about it here.

Brick paths made for interesting biking. Most paths are on dykes so you get right into the wetlands with the fauna.

Back in town that afternoon we saw several working camels carrying metal and rebar rather than tourists. In the foreground is a hand propelled trike not uncommon for people who have lost the use of their legs.